Biden, Kishida tout stronger military role for Japan

Weeks after Tokyo announced a doubling of military spending, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida traveled to Washington to boost security ties. The rising threats of China, North Korea and Russia topped the agenda.US President Joe Biden hailed Japan's "historic increase" in defense spending during talks at the White House on Friday with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.

The remarks follow an announcement by Tokyo of a doubling in military spending amid the rising threats from China, Russia and nuclear-armed North Korea. What did the two leaders say? Biden said the United States remained strongly committed to its alliance with Japan — a strong ally of Washington in East Asia. "Let me be crystal clear: The United States is fully, thoroughly, completely committed to the alliance," he said during the Oval Office meeting, calling Kishida's visit a "remarkable moment" in US-Japanese ties. Biden promised that both countries would continue to work closely on security and economic issues. Speaking through an interpreter, Kishida warned that both countries were "currently facing the most challenging and complex security environment in recent history." Thanking Biden for Washington's work on regional security in East Asia, he said Tokyo had formulated its new defense strategy announced last month "to ensure peace and prosperity in the region." "Japan decided upon fundamentally reinforcing our defense capabilities, including possessing counterstrike capabilities," he said. The pair were also expected to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the US semiconductor controls on China. Tour of G7 nations, minus one The Japanese leader is on his first trip to Washington since taking office in October 2021. The US is the last stop in a tour of the industrial powers that make up the G7, of which Japan is the 2023 host country. Earlier this week, Kishida sealed Japan's first defense agreement with a European nation — Britain — one that allows both militaries to hold joint exercises. He also met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron, although Germany was the lone G-7 country not on Kishida's itinerary. Japanese defense spending to double Japan shook up its defense strategy last month with a promise to hike military spending to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027. The announcement is a huge departure from seven decades of pacifism following World War II, largely fueled by concerns about Chinese actions in the region. It is also extremely reminiscent of what the German government calls its "epochal shift" (Zeitenwende) in defense policy and spending announced in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Losing allies in World War II, Japan and Germany went down very comparable roads of partial demilitarization and noninterventionist foreign policy in the post-war years. The defense pivot comes after Beijing last year repeated its threats over territory including but not limited to Taiwan, and after ramped up missile testing from North Korea. Japan's defense spending has historically remained below 1% of GDP and the proposed increase would total about $287 billion (€265 billion) over the next five years. Tokyo also announced plans to buy US-made Tomahawks and other long-range cruise missiles that can hit ships or land-based targets 1,000 km (600 miles) away. Japan, Britain and Italy have also unveiled plans to collaborate on a next-generation jet fighter project. US to boost troop presence in Okinawa Earlier this week, The US and Japan announced an increase in the American troop presence on the Japanese island of Okinawa in part to enhance anti-ship capabilities that would be needed in the event of a Chinese incursion into Taiwan or other hostile acts in the region. Japan is also reinforcing defenses on its southwestern islands close to Taiwan, including Yonaguni and Ishigaki, where new bases are being constructed. US officials are pleasantly surprised at Japan's security pivot, complaining previously that any negotiations involving US forces in Okinawa often took years to complete. The troops' presence on the island itself is contentious, despite their critical contribution to the struggling local economy. The opposition-backed Governor Denny Tamaki — a staunch critic of the US military presence — was re-elected late in 2022. Kishida also met with US Vice President Kamala Harris before his talks with Biden to discuss US-Japan space cooperation and other issues. mm/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)